


Broken

by Fire_Cat



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Death, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Self Harm for blood magic, Seperation, Woops, i guess, it's just a fuck ton of angst and sadness and grief honestly, loss of a loved one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 10:12:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7504366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Cat/pseuds/Fire_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm.. I'm fine. Parvis, I've been.. Contacted, by the old crew of the ship that brought me to Minecraftia, and.. And they're coming to pick me up, to take me back to Lumi.." Strife said slowly, careful about how he worded it.</p>
<p>Parvis stared for a moment, before his smile came back and he chuckled. "Har har, very funny Strifeykinz. Like you'd ever want to go back to Lumi."</p>
<p>"I never said that I wanted to go back. I don't, I want to stay here. But.. But I can't.. They're coming to.. To take me home.. And I can't stop them.." Strife said, watching Parvis closely as his smile faded again.</p>
<p>(Strife has to go home. Back to Lumi. And Parvis can't go with him.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BewilderedSjipper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BewilderedSjipper/gifts).



> This was inspired by the tags bewildered-sjipper left on one of my drawings on Tumblr. I then spent almost every evening this week working on it.. It ended up a hell of a lot longer than I expected it too.. But oh well. I’m really happy with it, it is very sad though.. So.. Fair warning.. I also redrew that original inspiration for this fic ‘cos I could and ‘cos why the hell not :)

William Strife sat alone at his desk. Drumming his fingers against the wooden surface as he waiting for Xephos to pick up the phone. He'd already called twice today without getting a reply. He knew Xephos was busy with his own life, his own work. But there was something buzzing away inside Strife's head, something worrying, something that he had hoped would never happen, and it was beginning to eat away at him. He wasn't sure why, but telling his fellow Lumian first seemed like a better idea than telling anyone else.. Though he didn't plan to do it right here and now, even if Xephos did pick up.

After what seemed like hours, the phone clicked and Xephos' voice sounded over the speaker. _"Hello?"_

"Hi, Xeph." Strife said, his voice dull and tired.

_"Oh hi Will, everything ok?"_ Xephos said happily, the sound quality wasn't great, and Strife assumed Xephos was deep underground somewhere in his labs or out in the middle of nowhere. Both were perfectly plausible.

"No not.. Not really.. Xeph, I need to talk to you. It's rather important." Strife said simply. Biting at his lip slightly.

_"I'm all ears, friend. What's wrong?"_ Said Xephos, his tone dropping to something laced with concern.

"I'd rather say it in person, if that's ok, if you're not busy."

_"Sure, I'm only doing paperwork right now anyway, could use a break. Are you at your place?"_

"Yeah."

Xephos went silent for a moment, Strife could hear paper rustling in the background. _"I can be there in about an hour. Just gonna finish this. That ok?"_ He was starting to sound worried now.

Strife nodded before speaking. "Yeah, thanks, Xeph."

_"'s fine, friend."_ Xephos said, suddenly quieter. _"Will, is everything ok? You sound tired."_

"I am tired. I'm fine I'm just.. Worried.. I'll explain everything when you get here." Strife said slowly, leaning back in his chair.

_"Yeah, ok, I'll see you later."_

"See you later." There was a moment of silence, as if Xephos was going to speak again, but he didn't, and the phone clicked and buzzed as he hung up. Strife sighed and put his phone down on the desk. Leaning forward again and running his hands over his face. He really wasn't looking forward to this.. Not at all..

* * *

The next person Strife had to tell, was the one who he knew would take it the worst. He didn't want to, he knew that it was going to end in tears and desperate pleas, but he had no choice.

Xephos understood, he didn't like it any more than Strife did, but he understood and accepted it. But Xephos knew how Lumian law worked, he knew that this kind of thing was simply non-negotiable. He knew that Strife had no say in the matter.

Parvis on the other hand, didn't know much of anything when it came to Lumian's, aside from the obvious stuff and little tidbits of information that Strife and Xephos had given him over the years. Parvis certainly didn't know how strict Lumian authority could be, he wouldn't understand. He wouldn't _want_ to understand. But Strife had to find a way of getting him to take this seriously, if he didn't, it was just going to hurt even more..

Strife found Parvis sitting on his own in the main room of his castle. Perched on top of one of the workbenches, strumming his guitar. The Blood Mage's altar gurgling away to itself on the other side of the room.

"Parvis." Strife said as he approached, though the musician was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't seem to hear. "Parvis." He repeated, louder this time. Parvis looked up slightly from his guitar, and a grin split across his face at the sight of the emerald-eyed alien walking towards him.

"Strifey!" Parvis beamed, propping his guitar up against the wall before jumping down off the workbench. He quickly closed the gap between them and stopped in front of Strife, looping his arms around the taller mans neck and planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? What are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining of course. But you usually inform me first." Parvis said quickly, still grinning wildly, dark eyes shimmering under the bright lights.

Strife carefully placed his hands on Parvis' waist, biting at his lip before he spoke. "There's something I need to tell you. It's not good news.. But it's important.." He said, fighting to keep his voice level.

"Oh?" Parvis said, his smile slipping as he tilted his head slightly, taking in Strife's expression. "Strifey, are you ok?"

"I'm.. I'm fine. Parvis, I've been.. Contacted, by the old crew of the ship that brought me to Minecraftia, and.. And they're coming to pick me up, to take me back to Lumi.." Strife said slowly, careful about how he worded it.

Parvis stared for a moment, before his smile came back and he chuckled. "Har har, very funny Strifeykinz. Like you'd ever want to go back to Lumi."

"I never said that I wanted to go back. I don't, I want to stay here. But.. But I can't.. They're coming to.. To take me home.. And I can't stop them.." Strife said, watching Parvis closely as his smile faded again.

"No." Parvis said, suddenly quite firm. His hands moved to Strife's shoulders and he moved back slightly. "No. You're, you're lying, Strifey. Don't lie to me!" His voice was starting to shake.

Strife could feel a lump rising in his throat, but he fought it back as he spoke, taking Parvis' arms in his hands and holding him tight.

"I wish I was lying, Alex, I really, really do... B-but I'm not.. I'm not lying.. In about.. a week, the ships going to arrive.. And they'll be taking me with them.. And there's nothing I can do.." Strife said, stuttering slightly. Parvis looked lost, staring up at Strife with a strange mix of confusion and pain in his dark eyes.

"No." Parvis said quietly, his voice suddenly high-pitched and thin. "No.. No Strifey no. Please.. No.."

Strife looked down at his shoes and held back a sigh. He could feel Parvis' hands shaking, could hear his breath hitching in his throat. "I'm sorry." He muttered, not trusting his voice to stay level anymore.

"No, no. Oh there has to be a way!" Parvis paused, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to think of something. "Xephos! Xephos can do something, yeah! ..Right?" He said quickly, an overly hopeful expression on his face, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he started to fidget.

"Alex.. As far as Lumi is concerned Xeph's been dead for years, what is he supposed to do? And don't you think I've already tried everything? That I've already exhausted myself trying to figure something out? I'm sorry Alex, I'm so sorry but there's nothing I can do." Strife said quickly as he met Parvis' gaze again, his voice shaking.

Parvis' face fell again, he shook his head, causing his dark hair to fall over his eyes. "No." He muttered. "N-No, Strifey please, there's gotta be a way, you can't leave me, I love you!" He stuttered, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. "Y-You can't go! Please! You just c-can't!"

"There's nothing I can do. I'm sorry Alex, I'm so sorry." Strife said quickly, his voice thin as he started to struggle to hold Parvis' gaze.

"I can.. I can come with you! I can go with you!" Parvis exclaimed, desperation seeping into his tone as he blinked away tears. "Then, then we'll still be together.. Right..? Will?"

"I can't take you with me, Alex. Taking you from your home planet is all kinds of illegal. And you wouldn't like it on Lumi anyway, it isn't the futuristic paradise you think it is. I don't even know if Overworlders could survive there.. And besides, you've got so many friends here-" Strife said slowly, fighting the tremor in his voice.

"So do you!" Parvis interrupted. "All of my friends are your friends! Xeph was so thrilled to find you again, what's he gonna say about this-?"

"He already knows."

"What? You told him before you told me?" Parvis asked, confused.

"Yeah, I told him first. It seemed like the best idea." Strife said, finally levelling his voice out again.

"But.. But I'm your boyfriend!" Parvis cried, sounding rather offended that he wasn't told first.

"Yes I know. And I love you. But Xeph is one of my own, he's Lumian. There are things that he would understand that you wouldn't, not just because you probably wouldn't want to, but because I simply don't know how to translate it into Minecraftian." Strife said quickly, starting to sound desperate. He found himself crouching slightly so that he was more level with Parvis.

"Ok." Parvis sniffed, looking down. "That makes sense." His voice had gone very quiet again. Barely above a whisper. He fell completely silent, stepping closer to Strife and burying his head in the blondes chest, wrapping his arms around him and holding tight. "I don't want to lose you, Will, I love you so much, I don't want to say goodbye yet." His voice cracked as tears finally spilled from his eyes.

Strife wrapped his arms around Parvis and held him tight, one hand on the back of the musicians head, fingers laced in his ebony hair, the other on his back. Strife told himself he wouldn't cry, blinking away tears as he listened to Parvis' muffled sobs. He didn't want this to happen. Why did this have to happen?

"Stay here." Parvis said quietly, voice still shaking.

"I can't-" Strife started.

"No. Stay here, at the castle. Please." Parvis sniffed, looking up at Strife and just about meeting his gaze, though his eyes had dulled, and were tinted with dark blue to match his fading freckles. "If-If we've only got a week left. Then--Then I want to make the most of it."

Strife nodded, but he didn't speak. Parvis gently cupped Strife's face in his hand, tears still in his eyes. "I love y-you." He choked, his breath catching in his throat. "I love you so much."

Strife brushed his thumb against Parvis' cheek. "I love you too." He said softly. Leaning closer and gently kissing him on the lips. Parvis hesitated but soon kissed him back. Tears running down his cheeks again. Strife pulled Parvis close again, holding him tight and resting his chin on top of his head. He felt Parvis tighten his grip around his chest, not wanting to let go. But that was fine. Because Strife didn't want to let go either..

* * *

 

The next few days passed far too quickly. But not quite as they had expected.

Parvis had dropped everything after Strife had told him what was happening. His altar was left to gurgle hungrily to itself. His guitar was in its case in his bedroom, gathering dust and not being played.

He spent every moment he could by Strife's side. Would take every opportunity he had to touch him, to kiss him, to hug him, to hold his hand. But the two barely spoke. Strife didn't trust his voice to stay level. And Parvis could barely speak without crying. They were both scared. Scared of what would happen when the other was no longer there, and terrified that they'd never see each other again.

Strife's eyes seemed to be stuck on a pale green colour. Not their usual shining emerald, instead laced with white and barely glowing, dull and tired. The colour stuck to his freckles too. And the markings up his arms and across his torso had faded and were barely visible any more.

Strife did his best to distract himself. Continued with work, though no longer caring if Parvis was sat on the floor beside him, or under the desk, resting his head against Strife's knee, having him there seemed so much more important now there wasn't much time left to be together.

Strife gathered together things he planned on taking with him. Not much. Just a few bits and bobs. Keepsakes, photos, bits of tech. Small things. But meaningful things. He and Parvis spent hours going through photographs, still barely speaking to each other, but constantly holding one another, still not wanting to let go.

Strife eventually decided on leaving his Atomic Disassembler behind, as much as it pained him to do so, he didn't see it being of any use to him on Lumi. There were no monsters to fight, no minerals to mine, no houses to build. Just endless work to be done around people that really didn't like you. A wonderful machine it may have been, but taking it was pointless. So it stayed. Tucked away where it would probably never be used again.

* * *

 

It wasn't until the final evening that Parvis broke down completely.

He'd crawled into bed with Strife whilst the alien was flicking through a book. Kissing his boyfriend to distract him and taking the attention the book was getting for himself. This kind of thing, on its own, was normal. But playful behaviour in the bedroom usually lead to sex, or cheeky cuddles and kisses if nothing else. But that wasn't happening now. Not because they didn't want to. But because they couldn't quite bring themselves too, it just didn't feel like the right thing to do. And they weren't sure why.

Instead, they ended up snuggled under the covers, Strife with his arms wrapped around Parvis. Parvis with his head on Strife's bare chest, listening to his heart beat and gently running his thumb across one of the swirling green markings beneath Strife's collarbone. Not because the skin was more sensitive there, like he usually would, but simply because it felt nice, and because it gave him something to do.

But the Blood Mage's mind was rushing. Strife's words echoing through his head. Repeating over and over. All the things he and Strife had done together, flashing through his memories. And all the things they were going to do, that he hoped they would do, floating away into darkness like the void, where the dreams died, and he wished that all of this was just that. A dream. But it wasn't.. It was painfully real..

"Every morning this week, I've woken up, hoping and praying that--that all of this, was just some crazy, horrible nightmare." Parvis said quietly, his voice rough from barely speaking in so long. "But-- But it's not a dream. It's real. You're really going aw-way." He choked, tears escaping his eyes. "I don't want you to go. I love you Will I don't want you to leave me." He cried, prompting Strife to hold him tighter.

"I don't want to leave either." Strife said softly. Fighting back tears for the umpteenth time this week. "And if there was a way I-I could stay. I'd take it in a heartbeat. But there's nothing. They won't let me stay. I can't do anything to stop this.."

"P-Please, Strifey, please, I-I d-don't want to-to lo-se you. I-I can't I-- I don't know w-what I'll do with--without you." Parvis sobbed. His breath coming short and sharp as tears continued to fall, tremors running through his body.

Strife swallowed hard to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry." He whispered, suddenly not able to make his voice any louder. He held Parvis tight, nuzzling against the top of his head, taking in his scent, his breath ruffling the musicians dark hair.

Parvis tried to speak again, but his words got stuck in his throat.

"Shh, 's ok." Strife cooed, his voice still quiet, one hand gently rubbing against Parvis' back, hoping to calm him down a little.

Parvis continued to cry though, tears falling continuously. Quiet sobs sending shudders across his body. And the occasional hiccup making his breath catch. He barely made a sound, barely moved apart from the shaky rising and falling of his chest. They stayed as they were for a while before Parvis' breathing evened out, and the shudders stopped. He'd fallen asleep, tears staining his pale cheeks.

Strife laid his head back against his pillow. Still telling himself not to cry, through the lump in his throat was refusing to go away. He didn't move. He didn't want to wake Parvis.

He stayed where he was. Holding his boyfriend close all night. Parvis slept soundly, but Strife barely slept at all. He didn't care though. If anything, he was glad. Morning wouldn't come so quickly, and he had a little more time to enjoy the company of the man he loved...

He still couldn't quite believe that this entire adventure was coming to an end though..

* * *

The next morning was clear and sunny. The sky was blue, the air was warm. It would have been a lovely day if it weren't for Strife's departure. Which seemed to cast a gloomy shadow on the otherwise pleasant day.

There weren't many people there. But that was fine. Strife never did like people fussing over him. Xephos had agreed to gradually inform everyone of what had happened. But most people still didn't know, and wouldn't for a little while yet.

Xephos was there, stood to the side in his labcoat and glasses, having just come from YogLabs and planning on going back there afterwards. Hands folded behind him. His tail was looped loosely around his ankle, and his eyes weren't quite as bright as usual. But aside from that, he seemed fine, watching Strife from a distance as the blonde spoke to the orbiting spaceship over his communicator.

Parvis was sat in the grass, still in his pyjama bottoms and an old band t-shirt that was frayed at the hems and a bit too big. He was still sniffling, staring at the ground and fiddling with the long grass in his fingers.

His band-mates, Sparkles*, Kogie and Leo were huddled around him, Sparkles* was sat beside him, his arm draped around Parvis' thin shoulders. All three of them were talking to him in hushed voices, but never received a reply.

Strife was fairly certain that he'd seen KirinDave teleport in a little while ago, and he was equally as sure that the demigod was lurking in the trees somewhere out of sight. Watching but not intervening. Which was unusual for the demigods, but Strife preferred it that way. And paid him no mind. He just hoped that Ridgedog or Lying didn't show up. That was the last thing he wanted.

Strife was speaking in Lumian, talking to the crew aboard his ship. The little group of musicians couldn't understand anything he was saying, not that they could really hear from where they were sitting.

But Xephos could, his sensitive ears picking up every word despite the space between them. He hated being able to understand every word of what was being said. Hated it because it made everything hurt even more. He was calm on the outside. Of course he was. He and Strife were one in the same when it came to maintaining composure. But internally, he was begging Strife to stay, he didn't want to lose his friend again. He couldn't imagine what was going through Parvis' head though, and would occasionally glance over at the band huddled in the grass, just to see if the guitarists state had changed. Which it hadn't. He was still completely motionless and completely silent.

After about fifteen minutes, Strife finally stopped talking to the ship, glancing up at the cloudless sky as a faint silhouette appeared high above the ground. He approached the group, looking rather sombre, hands in his trouser pockets.

Parvis looked up as soon as he heard footsteps, watching Strife for a second before jumping to his feet and running over to his boyfriend, grabbing ahold of him and stopping the blonde in his tracks.

"Please- _please-please_ don't leave, Strifey! Please! Tell 'em-- Tell 'em you don't want to! That I won't let you! I--I--I-- I love you Will, please don't leave me!" Parvis sobbed as he wrapped his arms around Strife's chest. "Please, please, please." He whimpered, burying his face in Strife's shirt.

"Parvis.." Xephos said softly, though almost disapprovingly, as he approached, peering over the frames of his glasses. "..It's not quite as simple as just saying no.." Strife looked at the other Lumian and pursed his lips, before looking back at Parvis, embracing him and holding him tight.

"I'm so sorry, Alex." He whispered, planting a soft, chaste kiss on Parvis' forehead.

"Pl-lease." Parvis hiccuped. Not wanting to let go.

_"You will come back, won't you."_ Xephos said, quickly switching to Lumian as he wasn't sure how Parvis would respond to that question. The diamond-eyed aliens language skills may have grown a little rusty over the years, but he could still switch from Minecraftian to his native tongue relatively easily.

Strife let out a small sigh as he looked down at Xephos. _"First chance I get.. But I don't know how long that'll be.."_

Xephos thought for a moment before replying. _"Well, we established that one year on Lumi is roughly three years here on Minecraftia. So keep that in mind I guess. And try not to wait a decade this time."_ A slight smile crossed his face at the memory of finding Strife again, even if it had been completely by chance, but it quickly vanished. _"I don't know if Parvis will last that long without you."_ He said firmly, though with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

Strife swallowed hard, looking down at the shorter man clinging to him. _"I know.."_ He muttered.

"I'm gonna miss you, Will." Xephos said, slipping back into Minecraftian. "'s gonna be weird not having you around." He smiled. "I'm glad I found you again though, friend. Or rather, you found me." He chuckled lightly, trying to ease some of the tension.

Strife smiled slightly. "Yeah. Thank you, Xeph, for everything."

"'s my pleasure, friend." Xephos smiled, holding his hand out to his fellow. Strife untangled one of his arms from Parvis and took ahold of Xephos' hand, squeezing it firmly as he shook it. The freckles on the backs of their hands lit up in blue and green at the touch. Green light flashed in Xephos' diamond eyes, and blue light flashed in Strife's emeralds. Confusing the trio of musicians stood a little way to the side.

Xephos took a deep breath as he tucked his hand back behind him. Finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his composure. And Strife wasn't doing much better. Still telling himself not to cry, but starting to struggle to hold it back.

Parvis looked up at Strife and sniffed. "Please stay." He said again. "There has to be s-something. There.. There can't be nothing we can do.. Please, Strifey, please.." Parvis said, his voice steadier than before but still shaking.

"I've tried. I've tried everything I could think of without getting myself in trouble, and nothing's persuaded them. And besides, I was never supposed to stay here as long as I have.. I.. I was never supposed to get attached to anyone.. I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry." Strife said slowly, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"I dunno what to do.. Now my future doesn't have you in it.. What am I supposed to do with myself." Parvis said, tears still in his eyes though he seemed mildly calmer.

"Look after yourself." Strife said simply. He crouched down so that he was at Parvis' eye level, hands on the musicians shoulders, before continuing. "That's what you need to do. Keep making music. Keep practising your magic. Just.. Look after yourself.. No matter how long I'm gone, even if we never see each other again. Please, Alex, just take care of yourself, be sensible, don't hurt yourself. Please." He said softly, sounding more and more unsure as he went.

"I'll.. I'll try.." Parvis muttered. Suddenly finding it very hard to meet Strife's gaze.

"Thank you." Strife whispered, gently kissing Parvis on the lips before standing up straight and pulling him close again. Parvis pressed his forehead against Strife's shoulder as tears started to fall from his eyes again, quiet sobs muffled against the blondes red shirt.

A couple of minutes passed, before Strife reluctantly loosened his grip on Parvis, though the Blood Mage wouldn't let go.

"Come on, mate, you can't hold on forever." Said Sparkles*, gently pulling at Parvis shoulder.

"Yeah, come on, mate." Said Leo, carefully placing his hand on Parvis' other shoulder.

Slowly, Parvis let his band-mates pull him back, fingers still touching Strife for as long as they could. He tried to speak, but no words came. He wiped his eyes on his t-shirt, though more tears soon came. He let his friends surround him again as Strife went to talk to Xephos. But he paid no attention to the other musicians. Instead, looking past them and focusing on the man he loved. The man he would probably never see again after today.

"Good luck." Said Xephos, smiling slightly. "In whatever it is you end up doing when you get back to Lumi."

"Yeah, you too." Strife said. "Just.. Don't blow up the planet." He added with a smile. Making Xephos roll his eyes.

Voices started to sound through Strife's ear-piece again. Telling him to hurry up as they were getting impatient. He begrudgingly replied, realising that he had been dragging this out a bit.. Not that he was complaining about that.

"Look after him. Please." Strife said quietly to Xephos, sounding worried as he glanced over at Parvis, who was still watching him from amongst the rest of the band. "I don't know if he can manage on his own.."

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him. We all will." Xephos said reassuringly, nodding slightly. He stayed silent for a moment before he continued. "It's ok to cry, Will." Sincerity had started to creep into his tone.

"What?" Strife asked, confused.

"Don't think I haven't noticed. You've been holding it back all week. It's ok to cry when bad things are happening, you do know that right?" Xephos said, tilting his head slightly.

Strife merely sighed before turning away and pressing a finger against his ear-piece. Talking to the crew again.

"I guess this is goodbye, William." Came a familiar voice, loud in his ears but not coming from the ship and almost definitely not audible to anyone else.

"What do you want, Kirin?" Strife hissed as he looked around the clearing, knowing that he'd be heard, though not quite sure where Kirin was.

"I merely wanted to say my goodbyes, and wish you good luck. It's been nice meeting you, William. You're a good man." Kirin said, his voice as calm as ever.

"Thanks.." Strife muttered, not quite sure if he meant it or not. There was no response from the demigod though. And after a few seconds, he appeared from the trees, huge wings beating silently against the air. He rose about fifteen feet above the forest before vanishing behind flashes of silent lightning, which leapt through the sky before disappearing entirely. Strife rolled his eyes before returning to the conversation he'd been having over his communicators before he had been so rudely interrupted by the Storm Sage.

A few more minutes passed as Strife talked over his comms. And then everything was ready. It was time to go. Time to leave. Time to say goodbye to the wonderful if not bizarre world he'd learnt to call home over the last few years. And all the people he'd met and called his friends.

Strife and Parvis shared one more kiss. Long and warm, both holding each other and not wanting to let go. It was only then that Strife finally let tears fall.

When they parted, Strife had an idea. Looking down at his hands, at the silver rings that adorned his fingers. "Here." He said softly, slipping the ring off of his right forefinger, he took Parvis hand in his and placed the shining piece of jewellery in the musicians palm, closing his long fingers around it.

"But.. But isn't that one of your favourites." Parvis sniffed. Looking up at Strife's green eyes.

"Yeah, just like you." Strife smiled as he planted a gentle kiss on Parvis forehead.

"Thank you." Parvis said, his voice quiet, a genuine smile crossing his lips for the first time in days. "Will, you're crying." He added as he spotted the wet streaks down Strife's cheeks.

Strife wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and smiled. "Guess I'm not completely heartless then, huh." Parvis merely smiled, clutching the ring against his chest.

Another round of frustrated voices came through his ear-piece. And Strife finally decided to just get this over and done with.

It was quick. A beam of blue light came down from the ship high above them, encircling Strife. He waved, smiled. And then he was gone. The light faded. And the group on the ground could see the ship leave orbit seconds later. Beginning the long journey back to Lumi.

Parvis stared up at the blue sky for a while. Still clutching the silver ring to his chest as if it were a lifeline. "I'm gonna be ok." He muttered to himself. "I'm.. I'm gonna be ok.." His gaze drifted to the ground, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes again. He wasn't sure if he believed his own words...

* * *

Time moved on. The world kept spinning, much of it without any inkling of what had happened. But for Parvis, everything gradually seemed to get worse.

It had started out ok. His band-mates had stuck around at the castle, and had kept him busy with music, and games, and conversation. Leo took him to a jewellery shop in the Sapling Kingdom, where he'd brought a silver chain to put Strife's ring on. He now wore it around his neck everywhere he went. Close to his heart. Just as Strife himself had been.

After a week, the boys headed home. Leaving Parvis alone. People still came to check on him fairly regularly, often with heaps of condolences and cliché comforting phrases to chant at him, almost as if someone had died, not just moved away.

But the rest of the time, it was just him, and his thoughts. And now Strife was gone. The building seemed so big, so empty. Noises seemed to echo more than they used to, walking down the corridors and up the staircases seemed to take longer, as if they'd grown. Strife had never lived there, only come to visit, but yet it still felt like a part of the building had been taken and left a massive hole in its place.

Parvis had tried to stay strong. For Strife. But it gradually got harder. The fact that Strife was probably never coming back weighed down on his shoulders more and more with every passing day.

Messing with blood magic to pass the time rapidly turned into engrossing himself in it to block out the world around him. More powerful magic helped to numb the pain a little. And now there was nobody around to try and stop him.

But that was just it. Strife had been the only one keeping Parvis alive, keeping him grounded and stopping him from going too far with his studies. And no one had realised..

Parvis took to his blood magic like any other man would take to alcohol. Drowning his sorrows in something that clouded his view of the world and gave him a high like no other.

Delving deep into the darkest reaches of what the gurgling altar had to offer. Getting lost in areas that he had never touched before. Passing out from exhaustion and magic exertion was becoming more and more frequent.

Before long, the stone floor of the altar room, which was usually kept clean, was coated red with blood. It was splattered up the walls too. Parvis wasn't always sure how it got there. Sometimes he'd wake up and find new patterns of crimson decorating the place. But he didn't mind. It was probably nothing.

New scars started to appear on his wrists. He didn't need to cut himself anymore. His blood network was self sustaining. But one accidentally cut finger, lead to a reminder of how slicing through flesh with a knife and letting blood flow from the wound was not only immensely satisfying, but the blood loss made him feel numb, light headed, it took his mind off of all the pain and sorrow constantly running through his head. And it added power to his altar at the same time.

He didn't eat much anymore. And his already thin frame slowly became thinner, and even his more form hugging clothes began to seem too big. He was almost always tired when he wasn't on a blood magic high. Not that it stopped him from working, or prompted him to go to bed. Because it didn't. Why would it?

At some point, he stopped sleeping. Or at least, he stopped waking up in his bed, instead finding himself on the stone floor, having passed out from exhaustion, or blood loss, or something. He never really knew.

Xephos lost track of how many times he'd gone to check on Parvis, but instead found him unconscious, bleeding in a puddle of his own blood. He tried to help, but it was always denied. He was always told his help wasn't needed. Even though it was so blatantly was.

Eventually it all came to an end though. Albeit, a very sudden, unexpected and bizarre end..

* * *

 

Several years passed. No one had heard a word from Strife, but they'd long since accepted that he probably wasn't coming back, though most of them really hoped he would. Not much had changed in the time since he'd left, but what had changed, wasn't for the better.

One clear, chilly winter morning, a spaceship settled in Minecraftia's orbit. Beaming a single person down to the surface. Strife had finally come back, but he could never have prepared himself for what he found.

He'd materialised a little way from Parvis' old castle. Just across the water from where the stone building stood.

The air was bitter, and it made him shiver, he'd forgotten how cold Minecraftian winters were. Winter didn't really exist on Lumi anymore, or at least it didn't in the cities, and his clothes were definitely not designed to retain heat, which didn't help.

He looked across at the forest before him, before turning around to where the castle was. Something had gone very wrong, and the sight of it made his breath catch in his throat.

The entire island where the castle stood was coated in purple, tainted and fluxed. The plant life looked dead, black and drooping. The usually crystal clear water was dark and murky, though it didn't stretch very far from the island, and seemed to stop rather abruptly about twenty feet from the shore.

"..What happened..?" Strife said breathlessly. Completely bewildered by what he saw before him. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to figure out what had happened. That's when he noticed something in the corner of his eye, someone sitting on the water's edge a little way from him. Someone he knew.

A man, with long ginger hair and wearing a striped jumper, was sat in the grass strumming at a guitar. It was Sparkles*, though he didn't seem to know that Strife was there.

"Sparkles*!?" Strife called as he approached, his Lumian accent heavier than it was than when he'd left. Sparkles* froze for a few seconds, before looking up at Strife. His expression changed from confusion, to shock, to anger, in a matter of seconds. Almost tossing his guitar to the floor, he jumped to his feet, blue eyes cold and furious, a dark expression scrawled across the singers face, one that Strife had never seen before.

"You have some nerve showing your face here!" Sparkles* snapped, fists clenched at his side. "After everything that's happened, you think you can just turn up out of the blue, well you _can't_. You were gone to long, Strife. There's nothing here for you anymore. _Go home._ "

"W-What happened? Sparkles* what.. I don't understand.." Strife stuttered, glancing at the castle as he spoke, his Minecraftian a bit rough after barely using it for so long.

A sinister laugh escaped Sparkles* throat, a strange smile crossing his face, but there were tears in his eyes, and his hands were shaking at his sides. "You wanna know _why_ the island is all purple and tainted. _Why_ it's been sealed off?" He said firmly, pointing at the island. He took a deep breath before he continued. "Parvis-- Parv is dead. Strife. He died." He said slowly. "And, it's all, _your, fault!_ " Sparkles* snarled, pointing sharply at Strife. Glaring daggers and baring his teeth.

Strife took a step back, his breath coming short and his body feeling numb. Parvis couldn't be dead.. Could he..? "W-What.. H-how.. I--"

"I dunno how it happened, or why. None of us do. We couldn't figure it out, we still can't. It just, happened, one evening, _boom_ , taint everywhere and _no more Parvis_. And you know what makes it even better. _They never fuckin' found him!!_ " Sparkles* yelled, not caring that tears were running down Strife's cheeks, and that he himself was shaking all over. "Anyone who could go in there without getting infected spent _days_ looking for something, for some sign of him, even once respawning him was no longer possible they kept looking, but _they never fucking found him!_ "

"I--I--" Strife stammered, his words failing him.

Sparkles* took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to calm himself down a little. "Parvis is dead." He said softly, more to himself than to Strife. He slowly looked back up at the alien in front of him, eyes still cold and angry, but full of grief too. "That man was like a brother to me and he is dead because of _you_. I haven't spoken to Leo and Kogie in almost a year, because when we lost Parv, everything fell apart, everything we had worked so hard for _crumbled_ and _vanished_ and it's _all your fault!_ Alex _loved you_ , he _needed you_ , but you left, and he didn't know what to do with himself, he lost himself to his blood magic, wouldn't let anyone help him no matter how hard they tried. He _tore himself apart!!_ Alex is _dead_ , and it's all, _you're, **fault!!!**_ " Sparkles* cried. Tears finally falling from his eyes, sliding down his pale cheeks and disappearing into his beard. He stared at Strife for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before turning on his heel and walking swiftly over to his guitar, he grabbed it and stood up straight again, peering at Strife, who was completely frozen, over his shoulder for a moment before reaching into the pocket of his jeans.

"Here." He said sharply, pulling out what looked like a silver chain. "This is yours." He tossed the chain into the grass, watching as it landed a little way from Strife's feet, the blonde stared down at it, and the ring attached to it. "It's pretty much the only thing of value that they found. You might as well have it. I don't want it." Sparkles* all but growled before turning away, slipping the strap of his guitar over his shoulder and walking away.

Strife stood there, motionless. Staring down at the silver jewellery in the dull green grass. "..Oh.." He muttered as he dropped to his knees. Shakily bringing one hand up to his face as tears continued to fall, shutting his eyes tight as grief shook him. Every word that had left Sparkles*' mouth echoed around in his head. The sheer fury in his voice and the aggression on his face was like nothing Strife had ever seen on the singer before, it was verging on scary to see such a normally calm and energetic man act so unkindly.

He felt like he'd been punched in the chest, as if all the air had been knocked out of his lungs, making it hard to breath. His heart was pounding. His entire body shaking. He felt sick. Was this really all his fault?

"Will?" Came another voice from behind him, calm and concerned. Strife turned his head slightly, and saw a familiar man stood a few feet away from him. Looking almost exactly the same as he did when they had last seen one another, even his clothes were more or less the same, long white coat, glasses, smart shirt and dark trousers. Though his auburn hair was littered with more grey strands than it had been before, and his right eye was slightly brighter than his left eye, which seemed to be paler too.

"..Xeph.." Strife breathed, looking up at his old friend. "I--" He tried to speak, but nothing came.

"Hey," Xephos said gently, kneeling down beside Strife. "'s ok. None of this is your fault." He said softly, placing a hand on Strife's shoulder.

"..Yes it is.." Strife whispered, not able to bring his voice any louder.

"No, it isn't. You could never have known that something like this would happen." Xephos said, voice still soft. He paused for a moment before continuing. "At first we all thought Parvis was going to be ok. He certainly seemed to be improving.. But after a few weeks.. He started to slip.. We all tried so hard to help, almost everyone pitched in where they could.. But in the end.. There was nothing we could do. He just wouldn't let us help.." He paused again as he looked out at the island for a moment, before returning his gaze to Strife. "If anything, it's our fault for not handling it better. Nobody blames you for what happened, Will."

"Sparkles* does.." Strife muttered, starting to control his breathing a bit better. "When.. When did it happen, how long ago was it?" He asked shakily.

Xephos thought for a moment. "Two, three years ago. It's all a bit of a blur honestly. But it was a while ago.."

"..Oh.." Strife murmured, looking away from Xephos and staring down at the chain and ring in the grass.

Xephos shuffled closer to Strife, wrapping an arm around the blondes shoulders, his tail looping round the both of them. "Will, please don't blame yourself for what happened. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is." Strife sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, though more tears quickly replaced the ones he wiped away. "This wouldn't have happened if I'd stayed."

"You don't know that." Xephos said quickly.

"Yes I do.. Because I know what Alex is-- Was.. Like... When it came to his magic.." Strife said slowly as he looked back at Xephos. "Your eyes.. What happened to them?" He added, off-topic but genuinely curious.

"What? Oh.. It's nothing. Just.. An accident, a couple of years ago.. I'm ok, I can still see fine.. Well, just about." He pushed his glasses up his nose with his free hand as he finished. "Will." He said, voice still soft, but slightly sterner than before. "It wasn't your fault. None of it was. You didn't have a choice in the matter. Refusing to go back would have just made things even worse. And you know that."

"W-What could be worse th-than losing the man I l-love." Strife stuttered, shakily picking up the chain out of the grass and holding it tightly in his hand.

"Oh Will.." Xephos muttered. "Come on, come here." He said softly, pulling Strife closer. Strife didn't resist, if anything, he welcomed it, wrapping his arms around Xephos' shoulders and leaning close to him, burying his face in the crook of his friends neck. Xephos didn't mind, he merely held Strife tightly and gently rubbed his back with one hand. It all seemed so familiar, but at the same time, not quite right.

They stayed like that for quite a while. Quiet sobs occasionally escaping Strife's throat. He cried until there were no tears left. But he didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. Parvis was gone. He was dead. He wasn't coming back. They really would never see each other again.

Alexander Parvis was dead. Nothing mattered anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> I never intended this to get so long and I don't know how it happened but oh well.. -.-  
> Also this is the second fic I've ended with Xeph and Will hugging, huh..
> 
> But anyway, this was so much fun to write, and I wanna say a massive thank you to BewilderedSjipper, who gave me the idea and I just had to write it! I hope you enjoyed it :) I apologise for the ridiculous amount of angst in this fic o.o


End file.
